Freeman Neosho partnering with group for dialysis center

A new dialysis facility is being built on land between American Family Hughes Agency and Steve’s Auto Center on North Business Highway 71, Neosho.

Todd G. Higdon

A new dialysis facility is being built on land between American Family Hughes Agency and Steve’s Auto Center on North Business Highway 71, Neosho.

The center is called Heartland Kidney Center and is a joint effort between Heartland and Freeman Health System.

A 17-bed dialysis center in Freeman East Hospital, Joplin, has experienced some growing pains.

“We have really reached capacity up there (in Joplin), having a little bit of trouble scheduling patients from time to time. They were looking at other areas to see where we could offer an additional service to put more chairs,” explained Daxton Holcomb, chief executive officer with Freeman Neosho. “And to the south of Joplin looked to have the biggest need. So we decided to partner with Heartland Dialysis and open a dialysis clinic in Neosho, because we have a number of patients from Neosho, south into McDonald County, who are traveling to Joplin for dialysis and it is three times a week. A lot of these patients are weak and frail sometimes – not all of them, but a lot of them — so it is a big convenience if you don’t have to travel as far.”

Holcomb said highway access was another reason for locating the center in Neosho.

“We looked at a lot of different sites and felt that site did have a good access,” he said. “Outpatient dialysis doesn’t need to be close to a hospital. It needs to be easily accessible to the patients.”

Dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is used primarily to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function.

The facility is being constructed by SCG Construction Services Group: A Marion Company, LLC. Once completed, the facility will be 5,500-square-feet, and will hold up to 16 dialysis chairs.

“We are hoping to have it completed sometime around the first of the year, December or January,” Holcomb said.

Once completed, they will have a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Holcomb deemed the center a “double win” for the hospital.

“It is absolutely fantastic, it is a double win for us. One, we are able to improve the services in Neosho and to make access easier for our patients who live in the Neosho area and down in McDonald County,” he said. “And also at the same time, it is going to allow us added capacity in Joplin to improve access in northern Newton and Jasper counties and surrounding areas.”